Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcake

I've had some successful cupcakes lately and a friend asked if I'd come and teach a baking lesson to her 3 girls.  They are also gluten free and homeschool, so I thought, "How Fun!"  Turns out her middle daughter is the one who is into baking and she favors anything chocolate.  (Girl after my own heart!)  I hadn't attempted chocolate cupcakes yet, so had to test a recipe.  I went to a general recipe website and found one that looked fairly simple and easy to adjust.  Since my "students" range in age from 6-12, I wanted simple so they could do this on their own later.

So I started with my favorite GF flour mix. 
1 heaping tsp xantham gum
6 tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs (room temp)
1 cup-ish milk (room temp)

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins


sift together all the dry ingredients (except sugar) and stir to make sure fully incorporated.
mix butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Add vanilla ext, and eggs one at a time mixing well in between
Add the flour mix and the milk alternating, starting with flour ending with milk. 

Put about 1/3 cup into each cupcake liner.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until done. When toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Once cooled, Frost with your favorite icing and enjoy!

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes.....

I was totally jonesing for a really good cupcake!  I saw a picture online of a red velvet cake and thought!  " I must do this!"  So I searched online for good recipes.  I didn't limit myself to Gluten Free recipes, but found this one that I had to modify. 

I found the original Gluten-full recipe on Simply Scratch.  It's a blog I found last night and the recipe worked so well and her photos are so pretty!  Click Here for the link to her recipe.

So, I made them today, and Mmmm!  You should totally try these!  My pictures aren't anywhere near the quality of others, but here they are



I first sifted the flour, sugar, xantham gum, baking soda, salt and coco powder into the bowl of my stand mixer.  (btw my kitchenaid mixer is from the Lord! It is such a beautiful thing! ) 

Then I added the coco powder.  ( Look Ma, left handed!)

 

Mixed all the dry ingredients with a fork and set it in the mixer with the whisk attachment.

 

Crack 2 eggs in a large measuring cup with a pour spout.   

 

 

 Give them a light whisk!

Add in the buttermilk and vinegar
 



Then add the vanilla extract and the food color.  I used 1-1oz bottle of red. 
 

I then pour all the wet ingredients into the mixer bowl with all the dry and mix well.

I put the batter into the cupcake tin, lined with the snazzy black and white cups (that were on sale for $.99!) 

 While they were baking the frosting debate began.  Cream Cheese or Buttercream?  Buttercream always wins out, because I don't particularly care for cream cheese icing.

So the finished product turned out really great!



 

 

 Then this!

 

 

Let the Nomming begin!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix

1 tsp xantham gum

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tbl unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs (room temp)

1 tbl vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil (original recipe called for 1 1/2 cup grapeseed oil, but I didn't have that and I just couldn't get myself to put that last 1/2 cup oil in)

1 cup butter milk (room temp)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla ext.

1 oz red food color (original recipe called for 2 oz but I only had 1)

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin pan with cupcake papers.  

 

In mixer bowl combine all dry ingredients sifting well and stirring to evenly distribute all the cocoa powder and xantham gum.

 

In another bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine wet ingredients mixing well.  Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well on medium speed. 

 

distribute to cupcake papers, and shake and shimmy to pan to release any bubbles in the batter.

 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

 

Let cool completely then top with your favorite frosting. 

 

and last but not least, Enjoy!